Small Business Web Design : DIY vs Professional Designer

Attracting customers is the top priority of small businesses to thrive. 5.3 billion people and 71% of businesses have an online presence worldwide, there are a lot of potential customers and competitors for your business. So, having an attractive small business web design will open up immense opportunities. 

On the other hand, an unattractive and unresponsive web design has a massive negative impact on your customers as 38% of them will not buy anything which can cost you your business and will give an unfair advantage to your competitors. This is the reason 43% of small businesses want to invest more in their corporate web design. 

Now, you have grabbed the extreme importance of website design for small businesses. Let’s find out how to get yourself an attractive one. 

Mainly there are two ways:

DIY (Do It Yourself)

Hire a professional to build you a professional web design

There are several reasons why people build websites themselves through pre-made web design templates or hire a professional to build them an attractive, minimalist web design. Therefore, you will be presented with a comparison from all perspectives that are mandatory to decide which route you want to choose for your website design. 

Let’s explore it thoroughly. 

1. Customization Options

This is one of the biggest factors in choosing a website design route. You have to decide, do you want a customized web design according to business so that users can recognize your business as a credible brand?

If you do not want customized web design to help users recognize your brand or if customizations are not important for you, you can choose DIY website builders that offer limited customizations. DIY website builders offer minimalist web designs, corporate web designs, and single-page web designs for any kind of small business. 

Otherwise, if you want customized animations and designs for your business or you want to test different designs specifically related to your brand niche without any technical hassle, a customized website design is the best way to go. Because an experienced website development team will help you stand out from your competitors. 

2. Cost-Comparison

Cost is also a major factor in choosing DIY or professional web design for your small business. 

DIY(Do It Yourself) will cost you less as you are doing some work yourself without hiring anyone for website design. The only money it will cost you is to get the premium subscription plans to get those premade web designs for your business that start from $20 to $50 a month. 

On the other hand, if you are opting for a customized website design, you should prepare yourself to pay in the range of $3000 to $5000 because the more customized website design you want, the heavier the price you’ll have to pay. 

Small businesses often have very little money to spend so if your business depends heavily on online presence, you should invest in a professional web design for your small business otherwise you can opt for the DIY route.

3. Time Horizon

One metric that also matters is how much time your business has to show its credibility or visibility to the world.

Suppose you want to make your online presence as soon as possible because it could skyrocket your revenue then you can set up a website in a short amount of time with popular small business web design builders like wix, SQUARESPACE, webflow,  etc. 

The quote “All good things take their time to build” fits perfectly for customized web designs. 

Therefore, a customized solution for website design will take some time as the process includes choosing and utilizing specific tools and technologies for designing, coding, and SEO optimization. A responsive and optimized web design with custom animations and integrations would positively impact your customer’s experience. 

4. Professionalism

Every business needs a combination of different professions because people cannot master all skills. Remember, 75% of users judge the business’s credibility through the professionalism of the company’s website design.

But if you think your small business does not need a professional web design you can choose the DIY path. But, if you want to build a trusting relationship with your customers you need to have professional expertise to design a website for your small business. 

Otherwise, if you do not have professional expertise but you want to reflect your business as an authoritative and credible brand in your niche then the best way is to hire professionals in web development to get you an awesome website design that leaves your competitors in awe. 

5. Technical Knowledge

How does this relate to building a website for your business?

Building a website design by going the DIY(Do It Yourself) route makes you face some technicalities like understanding user preferences(UI/UX Design) and search engine optimization(SEO). 

But, if you want to avoid this headache and just focus on your business, you can leave this technical stuff to the web development team who will build and design your website as you want and also do search engine optimization to rank your website. 

6. Maintenance and Support

Choosing the DIY route means you have to maintain your website on your own. This can be a hassle, especially if you are not tech-savvy. Also,  DIY tools offer limited maintenance support to troubleshoot any problems with your web design. On the other hand, professional web designers offer full customer support for maintenance and troubleshooting, saving you valuable time.

Also, DIY companies do not provide the same level of security, reliable backups, or web design updates compared to professional web designers. This is because DIY companies have thousands of customers, so you won’t get the same level of attention as you would from a professional web design company. A professional web design company will treat your small business website as a top priority.

Therefore, if you do not want to get into the hassle of maintaining your business website you should avoid DIY and choose for professional web design service.

7. Control

If you want to control what happens with your web design to test different strategies and styles for your business quickly and easily, DIY will give you that opportunity as you can make any kind of changes to your web design without relying on anyone. 

Otherwise, if you are not concerned about giving your control to professional web designers then you can choose a web design agency that will help make changes to your web design but the con is you have to depend on them.

8. Learning Opportunities

If you love to explore new tools and skills, DIY offers you the opportunity to learn how user interface and user experience affect your small business, how you would be able to beat competitors in the seo race, and how you would integrate payment systems on your website in case you are selling something. 

But if you do not have enough time and zest to learn these skills, the best thing you can do is look for a professional web design company that can help you achieve goals for your small business. 

Conclusion

Hopefully, you have chosen the right path to make a responsive web design for your small business. Remember, you should weigh your immediate business requirements with long-term goals. if both align in the same direction then you are headed in the right direction. If you still need help with web design for your small business, our customer support team is here to answer your questions. We have a fully committed team of experts who can help you with all of your web design needs.

FAQs

How do I pick the right web design company for my small business?

Ans: There are several things you must consider in picking the right web design company for your small business. This includes portfolio evaluation, tools and services they offer, and customizations.  

How much would it cost to create a web design?

Ans: Initial expenses for the DIY route will cost around $200 and a monthly subscription will cost between $20 to $50. However, hiring a professional web design company would cost you up to $5000(depending on customizations) and $1000/year as maintenance costs.

How do I choose the right web design for my business?

Ans: While choosing the right website design, you want to represent your business and satisfy your customers. Your web design should reflect your brand values and should ease customer navigation to make a purchase